Vehicle control device

• US 9,469,291 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Itou, Yuutarou, Okamoto, Tsuyoshi, Ikemoto, Noriaki, Morimoto, Youhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/511,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/102, 603/03, 602/86, 123/142.5 R, 123/142.5 E, 123/41.02, 429/120, 180/65.28, 180/65.29, 180/65.265, 180/65.285, 180/65.275, 322/14, 903/903, 903/930
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00899 Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/025 from both the cooling liquid and the exhaust gases of the propulsion plant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/07 Heating of passenger cabins
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, a first MG, a second MG, a main battery which can be charged and discharged, and a heating device. The heating device includes an exhaust heater which uses an exhaust heat of the engine, and a heat pump system which uses an electric power of the main battery. A hybrid control device determines a start timing of the heating device, based on a coolant temperature and a SOC. Specifically, the start timing of the heating device is determined such that a timing that the coolant temperature reaches a target temperature matches a timing that the SOC reaches a target value. After a warming-up operation is completed, an EV travelling of the vehicle can be executed according to the electric power of the main battery charged in the warming-up operation, and a fuel consumption of the engine is improved.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device controlling a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor generator, a power storage device which receives an electric power from or transmits the electric power to the motor generator and can be charged and discharged, and a heating device which includes an exhaust heater using an exhaust heat of the engine and a heat pump system using the electric power of the power storage device, the vehicle control device comprising:

a memory for storing executable instructions; and

a processing system including a processor, the processing system upon execution of the instructions by the processing system being configured to;

acquire a temperature of a coolant of the engine;

acquire a power residual of the power storage device;

determine a start timing of the heating device based on the temperature of the coolant and the power residual; and

determine a heating output corresponding to an output of an electric heater and an output of the exhaust heater in a warming-up operation, based on the temperature of the coolant and the power residual, the heating output being determined such that a timing that the temperature of the coolant reaches a temperature target value matches a timing that the power residual reaches a power residual target value.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the processing system upon execution of the instructions is further configured to compute correction heating quantity based on a measuring-period difference, and determine the heating output based on the correction heating,

the measuring-period difference is a difference between a temperature measuring period and a power residual measuring period,

the temperature measuring period is a time that the temperature of the coolant reaches the coolant-temperature target value, and

the power residual measuring period is a time that the power residual reaches the power residual target value.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing system upon execution of the instruction is further configured to:

specify a high engine-efficiency area where an efficiency of the engine is high; and

determine an engine operation point that can output the heating output in the high engine-efficiency area.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein

the engine operation point is selected as having the highest engine efficiency, when two or more engine operation points can output the heating output.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing system upon execution of the instructions is further configured to:

determine an output of a blower sending air toward an interior of the vehicle, based on at least one of the temperature of the coolant and the output of the electric heater.